This bill prohibits the District of Columbia from enacting or enforcing any law or policy that restricts cooperation with federal, state, or local entities regarding immigration enforcement and information sharing.
Clay Higgins
Representative
LA-3
The District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act of 2025 prohibits the District of Columbia from enacting or maintaining any laws or policies that restrict cooperation with federal, state, or local entities on immigration enforcement matters. This legislation mandates that D.C. officials must share information regarding citizenship or immigration status and comply with lawful detainer requests from the Department of Homeland Security. Essentially, the Act prevents D.C. from operating as a sanctuary jurisdiction.
| Party | Total Votes | Yes | No | Did Not Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrat | 212 | 11 | 194 | 7 |
Republican | 220 | 213 | 0 | 7 |
New Bill Mandates DC Officials Comply with Federal Immigration Detainers, Killing Local 'Sanctuary' Policies
The District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act of 2025 is a short, sharp bill aimed squarely at eliminating what are often called “sanctuary” policies in the nation’s capital. The core of this legislation, found in Section 2, is simple: D.C. cannot have any law or policy that restricts its officials from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. This isn’t a suggestion; it’s a mandate that completely overrides local control on this issue.
The End of Local Discretion
For anyone living or working in D.C., this bill means local government agencies—from the police department to social services—are required to share information with federal immigration authorities. Specifically, D.C. officials must be able to send, receive, and keep records about a person’s citizenship or immigration status if another government entity is involved. This removes any local policies designed to firewall local agencies from civil immigration matters. The practical effect is that information collected by a D.C. official during a routine traffic stop or a housing inquiry could potentially be used by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Local Cops, Federal Holds
The most significant real-world change revolves around detention. The bill requires D.C. to comply with lawful detainer requests from DHS. A detainer is essentially a request for local law enforcement to hold an individual—who would otherwise be released—for up to 48 hours so that immigration agents can take them into federal custody. For local police, this means they are now required to act as the holding arm for federal civil immigration enforcement, rather than focusing solely on local public safety concerns. If a person is arrested for a minor local offense and is due to be released, D.C. officials must now notify DHS and hold that person if a detainer is issued, extending their time in local jail based on a civil immigration warrant.
Who Bears the Cost?
This shift fundamentally changes the relationship between D.C. residents and local government. For immigrant communities, it means an increased risk of deportation resulting from interaction with local police or courts, regardless of the severity of the local offense. D.C. officials lose the ability to set their own public safety priorities, which often prioritize building trust with all community members over enforcing complex federal civil law. While supporters might see this as ensuring federal law is uniformly applied, the cost is borne by local government, which must dedicate resources and jail space to federal holds, and by communities who may become less willing to report crimes or cooperate with local authorities out of fear of immigration consequences.